'Paddington' Director in Talks for Live-Action 'Pinocchio'

Already hailed for his work on the two critically acclaimed Paddington movies, Paul is reportedly the film company's favourite choice according to Variety, after Bond Director Sam Mendes dropped out of the project previous year.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Paul King, who has gained sweeping critical acclaim for directing Paddington and Paddington 2, has been tapped to helm Disney's live-action Pinocchio film. Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a village near Lucca, he was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. What follows is a series of adventures that include Pinocchio being kidnapped to be part of a puppet show, getting turned into a donkey and being swallowed by a whale.

Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano will produce Pinocchio, which is scheduled to begin filming this fall. Jack Thorne is rewriting the script. As one of the most reimagined characters in children's literature, his story has been adapted into other media, notably the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio which was was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. None of those were made by Disney, however, which is now in the midst of bringing to life, Blue Fairy-style, its animation library.